


Pentatonic Limerence

by PixelPax



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Drabble Collection, F/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 22:06:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11090883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixelPax/pseuds/PixelPax
Summary: A boy that smiles as bright as the sun and jumps just as high, a genius setter who rules the court with an iron fist, a shy server who's handy in a pinch, and an enigmatic giant who smirks more than smiles.She hadn't expected to meet them but she's beyond glad that she did.A series of one-shots and drabbles for the relationship between the first-years of Karasuno.





	Pentatonic Limerence

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is my first Haikyuu! fic, though it's more of a taster than anything else :D I just kind of wanted to test the waters with this one just to see the general reaction. The only reason I wrote this was since I saw Yachi, noticed how shippable she was, and then slowly realised that the first years are actually super cute together. Add that to the many cute fan arts I've seen, the numerous polyamory fics I've read in the past, and the sheer amount of reverse harem anime's I've watched and you get... this... -_-'
> 
> For the first chapter I decided to do a soulmate AU, since I think they're cute and really creative.
> 
> Oh, and so you know, this is a two parter, though I don't actually know when the next part will be released since I'm pretty busy right now ^_^
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I liked writing it! :D

  _There is a love I reminisce,  
_   _like a seed  
_ _I've never sown._

 

Yachi Hitoka had been exactly five years old when the first name appeared.

It was ostentatious; scrawled haphazardly across the skin of her palm in large, loopy characters. Big and bold, it was almost as if it was being shouted at her- not aggressively, but with explosive enthusiasm. 

 _Hinata Shouyou_ , it read.

She couldn't help but imagine him- a small, energetic boy with a blinding smile and a gaze that burned with all the intensity of a dying star. A boy that would fix that shining gaze on her and laugh so brightly and so suddenly that she would feel her breath leave her, snatched from her lungs in one fell swoop. The mental image she had conjured was only strengthened by the image emblazoned across the back of her hand- a swirling mosaic sun.

Hitoka was curious and fearful all at once. What would this 'soulmate' be like? Were they even her soulmate at all? Would she like them? What if they ended up hating her?  What if it was all just a mistake? What if they weren't meant to be together at all?

Her mother had been quick to soothe her and had even laughed when she voiced some of her questions out loud.

"But you haven't even met yet," she had assured the little girl, bemused, "Why would they hate you?"

At that, Hitoka had flinched, head lowered with shame and self-doubt. She had turned away from her mother's piercing gaze, scuffing her feet against the carpet with a sudden indecisiveness.

"But I'm boring…" she had mumbled finally, tugging at her skirts, "I'm not really pretty like Chiasa, or clever like Nozomi, or very fast like Tsumi, and I'm not very good at sports at all-"

Yachi Madoka had sighed then, sinking to her knees and placing a gentle hand on her daughter's golden crown. The little girl gave a small jolt, wide almond eyes gazing up at her mother's small, fond smile. The woman had placed her free hand beneath Hitoka's chin and lifted her head, wiping away at the tears that had begun to trickle down her plump cheeks.

"But you don't have to be any of those things," Madoka had replied, simply, "You just have to be you."

The younger Yachi had sniffled, wiping dolefully at her nose.

"D-Do you h-have a-" the five year old's lips twitched downwards, eyes red-rimmed and watery, "-a soulmate?"

Madoka hadn't replied at first, staring vacantly at her daughter's naïvely inquisitive expression. For a moment, her slender fingers twitched as if unwittingly seeking to caress the name that blemished her outer thigh. She thought better of it though and curled her hand into a solid fist. Unbeknownst to Hitoka, her nails- long, sharp, and perfectly pristine- dug painfully into her palm.

"Yes..." was all she said.

At that, little Yachi had blinked, her teary expression morphing into a small, curious stare.

"Really?" She squeaked softly- for surely if her own mother had a soulmate, they couldn't be all that bad. "Have you met him yet? Do I know him? Do you love each other?"

Madoka paused again, considering her daughterwith an almost unnervingly blank expression. The five year-old didn't seem at all bothered by her mother's sudden lack of responsiveness and instead gazed back intently, eagerly awaiting a reply.

"Yes."

The response was hoarse and quiet. The older woman's normally strong countenance had started to crumble as she stared down into her daughter's wide, brown eyes. There was something flickering across her expression; something sad and evocative that flashed there only for a second.

"Did he love you too, then?"

The question had been an innocent one- asked only out of pure, harmless curiosity- yet the effect had been overwhelming.

The older woman had stopped, breath hitching in her throat. There were a few moments of long, tense silence before finally, she gave the little girl a small, shaky smile. Of course, Hitoka had been far too young back then to realise that her mother- normally poised, strong, and taciturn- had been on the verge of tears.

"No."

And that was all that she ever had to say on the subject.

In that moment though, it had been enough. Yachi Hitoka had learned two things that day; the first was that not everybody had a soulmate. The second was that, in that respect, the universe could be terribly cruel.

 

 _Of lips that I am yet to kiss,  
_ _and eyes not met my own._

 

She must have been about seven or eight when the next one appeared.

This time it was a lot subtler. The characters were faint and small, printed neatly against the inside of her wrist. Compared to her first, the second name was almost tucked away, hidden from prying-eyes. Yachi couldn't help but smile to herself at the contrast; if her first soulmate was shouting, the second was barely whispering.

Nevertheless, where the writing might have indicated shyness, the tattoo itself was anything but. Intricate vines curled elegantly down her forearm and encircled her wrist like a silent, floral shackle. Leaves and climbers crept slyly down her skin, twisting and knotting as they went until, right beneath the crook of her elbow, the greenery finally blossomed into two, elaborate lilies.

It wasn't as bright or as loud as the first. It didn't give her that sudden burst of confidence that she got from the other when she looked at it. It was beautiful and dignified in its simplicity, and for that, Yachi Hitoka loved it. Where the first mark gave her the courage to move forwards, the second kept her calm- a constant, silent support that helped to soothe her. In times of contemplation or stress, she would often find herself tracing the precise strokes, mouthing the name as she went.

_Tadashi Yamaguchi._

She couldn't wait to meet them both- her soulmates. And, though she didn't know it at the time, she wouldn't have very long to wait either.

 

 _Hands that wrap around my wrists,  
and arms_   
_that feel like home._

 

She hadn't even noticed the third mark at first.

It was the middle of June and the summer heat had struck with a vengeance. Her class had just come out of the gym, sweaty and disheveled after a solid hour of exercise in the overwhelming summer heat. The changing rooms were rife with the smell of stale perspiration, shouts and laughter echoing back and forth across the room full of middle-school girls. One of the girls in particular seemed 

"Hitokaaaaaaa~!"

Yachi couldn't stop herself from smiling as two, slender arms wrapped around her shoulders. The voice groaned as its owner rested their heavy head against her shoulder with an exhausted huff. Hitoka unwittingly glanced down at her best friend, lips twitching at the petulant pout that graced the other girl's lips.

"Are you okay, Ami-chan?" she asked, bemused. The other girl glared up at Yachi half-heartedly, eyes sliding shut in lazy contemplation as she leant all her weight on the smaller girl. She groaned despairingly.

"No, I am _so_ not okay right now."

Yachi stifled a giggle, gently shrugging off her friend and reaching up towards her locker. Behind her, she could hear Ami sigh and collapse unceremoniously onto the bench, letting out an exhausted wheeze.

"I mean, seriously? Coach Yamada was totally out to kill me today!" The taller girl groaned irritably, massaging her abused muscles. Yachi could practically see the sulk in her friend's voice as she rifled through her sports bag. With humour dancing in her eyes, she turned her head to send her friend an amused grin.

"Well," she teased, "you did practically attack Hattori-san."

Immediately, Ami grumbled and scrubbed her hands across her face dramaticallt.

"But I couldn't help it!" she whined as she slumped back against the seat, "She was driving me literally _insane_ , I swear!"

Again, Yachi smiled indulgently. The image of her affronted, enraged best friend confronting an equally snarky brunette flashed across her memory and she couldn't help but wince.

It had started with a passing comment; a spiteful insult paired with a sardonic smile had been thrown thoughtlessly in Ami's direction. Hattori Yuna, irritated by the endless heat and frustrated by her team's no-win streak, had snapped carelessly and Ami had immediately snapped back. Both girls had exchanged an angry tirade of venomous slurs with Ami snarling violently at the other's malicious leer. Needless to say, it had escalated quickly from there, up to the point where their P.E. teacher- who'd never been fond of them anyway- had to separate them and issue them each a detention for her trouble.

Unfortunately, she hadn't interfered fast enough to stop the final insult flying from Hattori's snarling lips.

"-you _No-Marker!_ "

Several gasps had risen up from the growing audience. The undeniable hurt on Ami's face in that moment seemed burnt into Hitoka's memory. All at once, Ami had deflated, expression growing pale with fear and shock, eyes growing wide like a deer caught in headlights as the whispers grew louder. It had taken several minutes for Hitoka to coax her friend into speaking again, but when she finally managed it, there was no denying the tremble still caught in the other's voice.

There was nothing worse than having no soul-marks.

"You're so lucky…." Ami whined, "I mean, really? You have two already. I don't even have one yet!" Yachi paused, sneaking a small glance at her best friend as she rifled through her sports bag. The other girl was spread languidly across the bench, lanky limbs hanging lazily off the edges. She was trying to play it cool, but Yach would've had to have been blind to not notice how her usually bright smile seemed a little frayed at the edges.

"I mean-" Ami bit her lip, "Shouldn't they have shown up or something by now?" Yachi tried to smile reassuringly, but even then it seemed to fall flat.

"Don't worry about it too much," she said. "Everybody's different, right?"

In reply, Ami huffed, turning her gaze to the ceiling as her friend started to undress.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Her lips twitched downwards. "My soulmates better hurry up, then," she muttered peevishly, "I'm getting bored of waiting."

As she spoke, Yachi couldn't help but frown to herself. Both girls knew what the other was thinking. Both girls were all too aware of that one word that neither of them dared to say out loud. Both knew it, yet neither could even dare themselves to think it.

Hitoka shuddered. She couldn't help the wave of dread rising in her stomach as she gave her friend a subtle side-glance. The other girl was still lying there, sprawled across the locker-room bench like a cat. To any other, it might have seemed like she was simply tired, but Yachi knew differently. She could see the worry that creased Ami's brow as she glared silently at the ceiling, lost in thought.

_No-marker._

The word reverberated inside of her head.

Here there was nothing worse than being a No-Marker. being a No-Marker meant that you were unwanted. Being a No-Marker meant a lifetime of being looked down upon and mistreated. Being a No-Marker was, in many ways, a death sentence.

Yachi couldn't help the shiver that crawled down her spine. She probably wouldn't be able to cope with seeing her friend like that.

A sudden gasp from behind her knocked her out of her thoughts and she turned quickly. Ami was staring at her, eyes wide and mouth agape, gaze transfixed on her back. Yachi frowned, heat rising in her cheeks at her friend's sudden interest in her half-naked body and nervously clutched her shirt to her chest.

"You…." Ami looked completely lost, mouth opening and closing in quiet shock and contemplation. Yachi frowned at her and then tried to follow her gaze, twisting her body painfully to try and get a glimpse of what the other girl was looking at. Finding that it was impossible she instead turned her confused look to her friend, who looked too dumb-founded to answer.

"You…" Ami murmured, "You have three...?"

Yachi blinked at her.

"Three what?"

Ami's face seemed to flicker with something strangely bitter for a moment and then the emotion vanished, replaced with a bright grin. For a second or two, Yachi was completely caught off guard by her suddenly awe-stricken smile.

"Oh my god, you have another one!" Ami marvelled to herself as she ducked down to examine something that Yachi couldn't see. The tiny blonde squeaked as she felt cold fingers dance over her lower back, tracing an invisible pattern into her skin. Immediately, she felt her muscles tense up as the implications of what her friend had just said raced through her mind like a hurricane.

Another one?

Wait, she had another mark?

Was that even possible?

Yachi felt something akin to awe and excitement wash over her as she bent herself backwards again to try and see the name inked into her skin.

"Wait, what does it say?" she asked desperately, almost painfully aware of the numerous gasps and murmurs coming from the girls around her as they all turned to look at the spectacle for themselves.

"Wait, she has three soulmarks?"

"No way, seriously?!"

"Wow, I am so jealous…"

"It's so pretty!"

Hitoka could almost see the mischievous grin on her friend's face as she called back up to her.

"I could be reading this wrong, but I'm pretty sure it says: Tsukishima Kei."

There was a moment of hushed, reverent silence where Yachi let the name flow over her lip. She couldn't help but smile to herself, gently touching where she knew the name was tattoed against her skin.

 _Tsukishima Kei_ , huh?

When she got home, the first thing Hitoka did was rush up to her room and take off her shirt, turning her back to the mirror. As she expected, there, tucked into the curve of her lower back, was a name. It wasn't small or faint like the second, nor huge and bold like the first, but lingered somewhere in between. The writing was smooth and cursive, each stroke looking as if it was filled with languid self-assurance.

The tattoo itself was a large image of a patterned crescent moon that rested upon two, shadowed clouds. Tiny stars dripped from the edge of the celestial body like a minute waterfall, tumbling down her back to just brush the lining of her underwear. It was simple and plain, but Yachi found that she found the minimalistic appearance endearing.

Now, if a tattoo could have emotions, Yachi would say that this design- as hidden and as subtle as it was- almost seemed possessive. The positioning of it on her body was almost intimate; like it wanted to be kept a secret. Out of shame or teasing, she wasn't sure but Yachi liked that, too.

Because whilst this soul-mark didn't make her feel particularly brave or optimistic, and it didn't ease her worry either, it did seem a lot more personal. The other two were constantly on display, which sometimes meant she felt as if she was exposing herself, in a way. Somehow, it made her feel more confident, secretly knowing that there was something that not everybody knew about.

And for some time, Yachi Hitoka was perfectly content with her three soul-marks.

 

 _I wonder how it is I miss_  
_these things  
I've never known._

 

Then the fourth and final name appeared.

This time, the writing was jagged and almost hostile, boldly stretching across the back of her shoulder in thick, sharp strokes. From the words themselves branched two, beautifully detailed black wings extended to their full length; one drifted across her shoulder and onto her arm, whilst the other reached right across to the centre of her back. Each separate part of the wings had been sketched to the very last detail, from the fraying edges of every quill, to the shadowed, glossy sheen of each feathered layer. It was definitely the most extravagant of her tattoos.

14-year old Hitoka couldn't help but admire the artistic detail, fingers tracing the rise and fall in plumage before finally drifting across the name- the centrepiece of the chef-d'oeuvre.

_Kageyama Tobio._

Why her, of all people? What if they really weren't her soulmates at all? Or, even worse, what if they didn't want her? The constant comfort and anticipation she had come to associate with her markings had begun to fracture into a sudden sense of fear.

Throughout the rest of her middle-school life, this fear never left her. She could still see the sneers of her old classmates; the jealous, spiteful remarks they would throw at her still stung. Her mother's broken-hearted expression haunted her every waking moment. It was always there- the doubt, the anxiety- a constant nudge at the back of her mind. 

And so, slowly but surely, she began to recede unto herself. The marks that had once given her comfort were now a symbol of her fear- a constant reminder of her doubts and anxieties; that this all wrong. That no-one could ever really have four soulmates. That this was just some kind of terrible cosmic mistake.

Besides, who could ever love her, anyway?

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so that's about it for now :D I'm not sure when the second part will be out by I'll try and be as fast as I can!
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed it so far ^^


End file.
